A newly established Puerto Rico beef co-op has secured US$21.2m in funding from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a “climate-smart” cattle initiative.
Procarne co-op was incorporated earlier this year by a group of 12 ranchers putting up an initial $5,000 each, reported El Nuevo Día in May. The co-op then applied for funding from both Puerto Rico and the USDA to develop beef production activities.
The funding is part of a $1.5bn conservation programme which the USDA describes as “a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land”.
Under the scheme, Procarne will focus on existing ranches and prime farmland that is currently abandoned or underused to improve their resilience and adaptability to climate change. The project aims to address resource concerns in connection with greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, excess and insufficient water, water quality, wetlands conservation, pasture conditions, livestock productivity, and energy inefficiencies.
Research from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 2017 estimated beef production to account for at least 7% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, while pastureland expansion was the leading cause of deforestation during the first two decades of this century.
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Other projects awarded USDA funding include water conversation, wildlife habitat protection and methane reduction.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack described the programme as “an example of public-private partnership at its best”.
He added: “Thanks to the boost in funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, we’re able to invest even more in this popular and important programme and increase our conservation impact across the country, supporting our nation’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners while at the same time protecting our natural resources for the future.”
John Podesta, senior advisor to the president on international climate policy, said: “America’s working lands and forests are crucial in our fight against the climate crisis – from sequestering carbon pollution to absorbing the impact of storms and floods”, adding that the awards “make sure that the people who know those landscapes best – farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners – have the resources they need to lead this important work”.
